July 25, 2008
Florida Republican leaders attempt to fire up the troops
They call for hard work to help McCain
Two of Florida's top Republicans used a combination of inspiration and fear of old enemies to motivate, cajole and even guilt the party faithful into action on behalf of John McCain.
"This election has more at stake than any presidential election since the end of World War II. Our national economy is at stake, our national security is stake, and possibly our way of life that we enjoy on God's green Earth," state Chairman Jim Greer said Monday evening in Fort Lauderdale.
Though Greer slightly tempered his remarks by telling the assembled members of the Broward Republican Party that "the Democrats are not our enemy; many of us have Democrats as friends, as relatives," he presented an ominous view of what would happen if Barack Obama is president and Nancy Pelosi is speaker of the House: more government, higher taxes and "sitting down with our enemies to talk about getting along."
Greer acknowledged that such an argument won't win the election by itself. He called for a united and energized party and then dismissed the notion that Republicans might not be unified and energized as fiction coming from the "liberal media."
"We must not allow this false message that the media promotes that Republicans will stay home. It is a false message. It has no foundation of truth," he said.
Even though Broward is an overwhelmingly Democratic county, it's home to the state's second-largest number of registered Republicans — and turning them out for a statewide election is a key to holding down the Democrats' advantage and ultimately winning.
Sharon Day of Fort Lauderdale, the state Republican committeewoman for Broward and national Republican committeewoman for Florida, said that won't happen by itself.
Day said party members need to get involved and exert themselves. If they sit around and wait to show up for a victory party in November after leaving the work to others, she said the election night event won't be a celebration.
"This is going to be a tough election," she said. "We have to let people know what the Republican Party is about and what Sen. McCain is about, and if we don't get it done we are not going to be pleased even a tiny bit with what we see in that White House."
Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4550. Read more about how Broward Republicans are mobilizing for McCain on the Broward Politics blog at Sun-Sentinel.com/browardpolitics
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